Disconnecting switch



Dec. 22, 1931. c. AALBORG 1,837,243

DISCONNECTING SWITCH Filed March 2, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WITNESSES:

4 MN I Chr/sf/an Aa/borg we- ,2. MM 60 BY If TTORNEY Dec. 22, 1931. c. AALBORG 1,837,248

DISCONNECTING SWITCH Filed March 2, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 4/! MW Chrisfiam Aa/borg M M7. BY

' I 4 v p p Dec. 22, 1931. c. AALBORG 1,337,248

DISCONNECTING SWITCH Filed March 2, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES: [NVENTOR W Chm'sf/an AO/ZDO/g M f. M

MB Y

TQRNEY Patented Dec. 22,

; UNETED .sTATEs CHRISTIAN AALBORG, or PITTSBURGH, mmsgamms;Assamese enu erates ELECTRIC & MAnUrAcr-ertriae CGMPANY, ATCQBPQEAT N QP SYL AN- a 1 nrsconnncrmeswrron Application filed-March 2, 1926. Seria'rNoJSlfi'f;

, My invention relates to elec'tri'c protective devices and particularly to disconnecting.)

switches.

One object of my invention-isto provide a disconnecting switch,.th e movable contact member of which shall. approachthestation-f arycontact member along an irregular path.

, Another object of my invention is .topro' vide'adisconnecting switch in' which the mov-y able-contact member shall engage astationary contact member with a motion that shall preclude the interpositionof a coatingof ice therebet-ween.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide a disconnecting switch having a movable contactmember which may engage a stationary, contact member with either. a}

' straightline motion or an angular upward I v v i I j 10 also supports a weather-proofghousingmotion.

trouble is frequently experiencedv byreason of the interposition of acoa tingsof ice be- V 7 able contact memberfi *is electrically; connect. I

tween the relatively movable contact -members' when theylare brought together. This is especially true where the-stationary contact; member faces upwardly ori outwardly so as to be exposed to 'snow'and rain. l-prosj pose to eliminate the foregoing difliculty by causing-the movable COIltZLCi} member to engage the stationary Contact member either along a sideface or from beneathso that" any raingor :snow will haveaf tendency ;to;.fall.

away from the contactfaces rather than collect thereon. I accomplish the"foregoing.re-

sult by so mounting the movable contact. member that at 1 moves along anlrregular curve with reference to thebase of the switch,

rather than in the arcof a circle as iscus- V which the movable contact member 6 is tomary with switches of thistype.

side view of my disconnectingswitch show mg in dotted lines one path'cf travel'that may be taken by the moving contact member.

In the accompanyingv drawings, Fig. 1 is a Fig. 2 is a similarview of the disconnecting switch showing the path oftraveltaken by he contact member in order tov engage the stationary contact member from beneath and Fig. 3 isaplan view of the disconnecting switch shownin Figs. land 2, the arcing horns being omitted. ,J

In the operationof disconnecting switches,

all engaging surfaces.

Myinvention comprises, in generah agbjase member 1 towhich are fastened and insulated ofsuch designthatthe floating contact meme I ber G may approacha', stat onary contactw v member 10; disposed on the terminal 2 along;

any. oneflof alarge number of irregular curves; 7

depending upon-the design and relativepro' anism 7. v Thecontact-member 10*is provided with portions ofthe component partspf ,thevmechan'arcinghorn 8 that cooperates with an arc 'ing hor'n9 mounted. on the movable contact member 6. The stationary contact member 11, the specific form of which-is; .dependentg pc 'zt d P Ct m'Whi its nga d; y m v e C membe 6- T e more:

a'looped flexible conductor 12.

fiangesextendsastub crank18y The crank engaged by a clamp 19. that is act'uated'bya rod loonstituting aportion of anysuitable actuating device. not shown. The crank'17' ed .to the'stationary terminal-'3 by;meansgof 1 porting member to the main base member.. .1. The supporting member 15 has a pair ofv j upstanding spaced flanges 16 between which. extends a crank 17, and from each of which 17 extends beyond oneof the flanges 16 and is extends through the bifurcationsfQQ and 23 ofaseat memberQ l for an insulator upon Q mounted. The stub cranks 18 each extend 'furcations 22-and 23.-' The connections be tween the stub cranks 18 and the crank 17 and the bifurcations22and 23 are all sufiiciently loose to permit a turningmovementbetwee l Thecurve outlinedby the terminal portion of the movable contact member '6 is determined by the relative lengths of'the cranks 17 and 18 and the relative distances between sol their centers along the flanges 16 and the bifurcated members 22 and 23.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 and by Way of example, with the distance along the members 22 and 23 between the cent-er of their engagement with the cranks 17 and 18 of 2% inches; the length of the arms of the stub cranks 18 being 33%; the length-oi the arm of the crank 17 being 3 the center line along the flanges 16 between the cranks 17 and 18 "being; and the length from the point of engagement of the cranks 18 to the end of the contact element 26 being 17 it is possible to obtain a movement of the con tact element 26 such as shown by the curve A'B'in Fig. '1.

\Vith the foregoing proportioning and spacing of parts, the floating contact'member 6 initially moves along a curve that is approximately centered about theaXis of the crank 17 butasthe movement is continued to the right of the figure, the curve bends abruptly and further movement is along substantially astraight line duringthe period of engagement and disengagement between the stationary contact member 10 and the movable contact member 6. The positions of the component parts of the disconnecting switch in the open position of the switch are shown by dotted lines and their positions when the switch is closed are shown by full lines.

It will be seen that the inclination of the moving contact member 6 to the base 1 of the switch shifts through about 45 during such movement but the axis about which the turn ing movement takes place is not fixed. since the movable contact member 6 moves bodily.

to the right during the closing movement and to the left during the opening movement of theswitch.

In the operation of this form of disconnecting switch from the open to the closed position, the rod 21 is pulled downwardly which causes the crank 17 to turn in a clockwise direction, carrying with it the movable contact member 6. During the turning movement of the crank 17 and the stub cranks 18., their arms move from theiriel.ative positions shown in dotted line into substantially parallel relation which movementcauses the movable contact member 6 to turn the cranks 18. After the arms of the cranks 17 and 18 reach their position substantial parallelism, further movement of the CIRDS 17 causes the moving contact member 6 to be carried forward with a substantially straight line motion with a very slight amount of turning movement about the crank 17 whereby the end of the contact member 6 enters the weather-proof housing 11. in substantially a straight line. f

Another embodiment of my invention is illustrated by Fig. 2. I have shown a curve CD by which the contact member (5 can move upwardly into engagem nt with the weather-proof housing 31. In this form of my invention, by Way oi example the distance between the centers of the cranks 17 and 18 along the members 22 and 23 is 2 the length of the arms of the cranks 18 is 2 the length of the arm of crank 17 is 3 the distances between the centers ot the cranks 17 and 18 along the flange 16 is 2% and the length of the contact member 17 ,4 Accordingly, by changing the tns oi' the arms of era ks 17 and'l8 it is osible to secure curves of radically ditterent shape as is shown by the curves AB and CD. By further changing the dimensions oi the cranks 17 and 18, it is possible to secure an indefinite number o'tintermediate curves.

lit will thus be seen that I have provided a disconnecting switch by which it is possible to secure the engagement between the stationary 'and movable contact members along an irregular curve, which curve'may vary anywhere from the are of a circle tarough a straight-line to a positive upward movement during the last portion of the relbe made as will fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim'as my invention:

1. In a switch structure, a stationary contact member, a floating contact member for cooperation therewith, a base and an insulator mounted on a plurality of cranks pivoted at different points on said base for supporting the floating contactmember and means for actuating the floating contact member. the lengths of the cranks and their pivotal connections being so related as to cause the floating member to shift the angle of its inclination relative to the horizontal during movement into and out of engagement with the stationary contact member.

2. In a switch structure,a stationary contact member, a movable contact member for cooperation therewith, a base member. a floating insulator for supporting the movable contact member, said insulator being mounted 'on the base member adapted by means for causing the movable contact member to shift the angle of its inclination to the horizontal mounted-on the base member and actuating means for causing the floating contact mem her to disengage the stationary contact member in a straight line motion and thereafter to move'away from it along an irregular curve with respect to the base of the switch. 4:. In a switch structure, a switch-arm, a movable contact member mounted substantially rigidly thereon, a stationary housing having a fixed contact member positioned therein, the housing having an'opening for permitting the movable contact member to engage the fixed contact member and means for moving the'switch arm so that themovable contact member moves downwardly out of said opening untilit is out of engagement with the stationary contact member and;

thereafter moving it. in a vertical plane.

5. In" adevice of the character described, a stationary contact member, a movable contact member cooperating therewith, an insulator carrying said movable contact member swingable into and out of circuit closing position,

and means for mounting said insulator tomove wlth a combined rotary and translatory movement, comprismg pivoted lmks connect-.

' ed therewith at spaced points and a crank mechanism for swinging said links about their pivots.

6. In adevice of the character described, a stationary contact member, a movable con-,

tact member and means for moving said' movable contact member into and out of enhaving an opening at the bottom, a movable switch'arm having a contact member mounted adjacent one end thereof for engaging said.

stationary contact member through said opening, and means for moving said switch arm so that said end thereof moves downwardly, carrying said contact member through said opening and then upwardly and laterally to a point remote from said stationary contactmember. 7

' 10. In a switch structure, a stationary contact 'member, a weather-proof housing for said stationary contact member, said housing being closed except for an opening'in the bottom thereof, a movable contact member for engaging said stationary contact member through said opening, and means for moving said movable contact imember downwardly through said opening andthenupwardly and laterally in a curved path to a point remote from said stationary contact'member. said means comprisinga pair oflinks pivoted atv spaced points at each end.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 20th day of Feb? ruary,1926. V a y I v CHRISTIAN AALBORG.

gagement with said stationary contact memoer by a combined swinging and straight line movement, comprising a pair of arms'mount-' ed on spaced pivots, an insulator pivotally connected with said pair of arms at spaced points, and means for swinging one of. the

arms of said pair on its pivot to move said insulator into and out of circuit closing posi- V tion. v

7. In a switch structure, a stationarycontact member, a movable contact member for cooperation-therewith, said movable contact member being mounted on an insulator, said insulator being supported on a plurality: of links so that movement of said links moves. said movable contact in a substantially straight line for part of its path of motion and in a curved line for the remainder of its path of motion.

8. In a switch structure, a stationary contact member, a weather-proof housing for said stationary contact member, a movable contact'member fixedly secured on an insulator for cooperation with said stationary contact member, and means for moving said movable contact member longitudinally until it is out of said housing andthen laterally to a point remote from said stationary contact member;

9. In a switch structure, a stationary con tact member, a weather-proof housing for said stationary contact member, said housing 

